A Coward's Heart
by Drarrinz
Summary: Frozen with fear, he could only watch as a Baddie came over to the bush he was behind...Based on the anime. A different ending to a certain episode. Oneshot.


**A Coward's Heart**

This is my first fanfic. Please be considerate and do not flame.

Disclaimer: I do not own Monster Rancher.

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"_Whoa!"_

He had tried to get out from the underground tunnels that were collapsing below, but stumbled once he had made it to the surface, fallen from the secret tree stump tunnel, exposed to the Baddies. He heard the sound of one coming closer, but couldn't move. Frozen with fear, he watched as a Baddie came over to the bush he was behind. It hadn't spotted him yet, but he was sure it would see him and…

"CHI!!!"

_Huh?_

A pink ball bounced from a tree and far off into another part of the forest, diverting the attention of the Baddies from him, leaving him behind as they followed it; he was safe…for now. With a sigh of relief, he stood up and looked in the direction where they went.

"…_Mocchi…"_

Determined, he ran off, taking the path to the Baddies' camp ground.

By the time he got there, he saw Mocchi swirling around in a twister that the Commander had formed. Soon the twister stopped, and Mocchi fell, crashing into the hard ground, defeated.

"Hah! That was a nice try, you little pinky!"

Two Baddies grabbed Mocchi's arms as the Commander asked, "Who's your partner?"

It was then that he noticed six other prisoners; A boy, a girl, a strange eyeball creature, a huge rock being, a strange looking wolf-like creature with horns, and a hare were held by more Baddies. They were obviously Mocchi's friends that he had mentioned earlier. They looked pretty ticked off. The boy was first to shout, "Hands off!" The girl cried, "Mocchi!" The giant eyeball screamed, "Why don't ya pick on someone your own size?!"

He stared as flashbacks appeared in his mind.

'_Thank you, Ducken!'_

'_Friendship is from the heart!'_

'_CHI!!!'_

Gathering up his courage, he yelled, "Mocchi!" He ran straight at them, jumping high enough to do a jump-kick, his webbed foot hitting the two Baddies and the Commander. They were sent flying a few feet away, landing on the ground head-first. He ran up to Mocchi, kneeling beside him and helping him to his knees.

"_Mocchi! Mocchi!"_

Mocchi looked up at him.

"Ducken…it's too dangerous…"

Determined, he replied, _"But we are friends, Mocchi."_ He placed a hand over his chest, smiling, _"And from the heart!"_

"…Ducken…"

The Commander got up, grinning, "So sorry, kids, but your time is up!" The Commander looked back at the rest of the Baddies. "Ready!"

Angry, the yellow part of his body swirled around. _"Boomerang!"_ The yellow mid-section of his body and hands detached from the rest of him and flew forward, just missing the Commander.

"Hey, that's not funny! Mucks, get after him!"

The spinning yellow 'boomerang' spun back towards them, cutting the hands of the Baddies holding Mocchi's friends, freeing them. Done cutting, his mid-section came back to him, reattached to the rest of him, and stopped spinning. The Commander looked angry.

"Counterattack!"

Mocchi's friends got up and got into battle stances. The boy shouted, "Okay, let's show 'em!"

As they attacked, the Commander called out, "Okay, you Mucks! Attack!" The Baddies put their hands out in front of them and shot leaves at Mocchi and his friends. Mocchi's side kept attacking until the Commander commanded, "Retreat! Let's retreat!" The Baddies retreated back into the forest. As soon as they were out of sight, Mocchi ran up to him. "Hey, that was great!" Worn out, he collapsed as Mocchi's friends ran up to him. The boy asked, "Hey, are you ok?"

He turned to look at them. _"My legs have turned to mush…"_ With that said, he began to laugh nervously. They stared at him for a moment before laughing with him.

Soon the boy asked, "Hey, what's your name?"

He smiled nervously. _"It's…it's Ducken."_

Mocchi grinned. "Ducken, these are my friends! Genki, Holly, Suezo, Golem, Tiger, and Hare!" He pointed to his friends as he called their names.

Genki smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Ducken! Hey…" Genki looked thoughtful. "How about you come with us?"

Mocchi's eyes lit up. "Yeah, chi! Come on, Ducken! Join us!"

Ducken looked nervous. _"Well…I dunno…I don't want to intrude…"_

Mocchi frowned. "Please, Ducken? Please?" His eyes became shiny and glassy, as if he were about to cry. "We're friends, right?" Ducken fidgeted. _"Well…I guess I –"_ He was cut off as Mocchi reached out and gave him a big hug. "Thank you, chi!" Startled, Ducken stared at him for a while before laughing.

Genki grinned. "It's settled! Ducken is our new teammate! Welcome aboard, Ducken!"

As they cheered, Ducken smiled.

_Mocchi was right; Cowards -do- have friends!_


End file.
